Puppets and Their Masters
by The Shadows Hide All
Summary: onesided OCOC, KuramaHiei, YusukeKeiko. Kira was a normal girl, in a normal world. Or so they thought. Yuri, het, all that good stuff. Sorry for the pairing change...
1. Prologue

Title: Puppets and Their Masters

Rating: PG-13

Summary: HieiOC, OCOC, KuramaOC, YusukeKeiko. Kira was a normal girl, in a normal world. Or so they thought. Yuri, het, all that good stuff.

Okay people, sorry that I haven't been updating. ; Life just got in the way, that's all. Okay...so...on with the story!

PAGEBREAK

"Who would like to answer this math problem? How about Kira?" the teacher practically spat.

Shirakeru Kira looked up from her book and rested her stormy grey eyes on the teacher, who stared back expectantly. A small sigh escaped her lips as she got up from her seat, her long brown hair swinging behind her as she made her way to the front of the classroom. She studied the problem, then quickly got to work on it. When she had finished, she sat back down, choosing to ignore the stares her classmates were giving her.

Today she had chosen to wear a black tank top and baggy black pants with some chains, and some black arm socks. On her neck was a chain necklace with a small silver heart locket on it, the words too faded to be deciphered. A small aquamarine decorated the bottom tip. The edges appeared rusty, like it had never been opened in a long time. Kira absentmindedly fiddled with it, turning back to her book.

She paused a moment to look over across the room at her friend, Mina, who was sketching something on her notepad. Kira chuckled to herself, her friend had always done that, and Kira couldn't help but stare at her as she did it. Her chuckle died as memories resurfaced, memories of the two of them, and how Mina was currently mad at her, and she couldn't blame her. She shook her head to rid herself of these thoughts and resumed her book.

The shrill sound of the bell woke her from her trance, and she quietly put the book down on top of her stuff and walked out, pretending to yawn so that Mina would get in front of her. She had always liked people that she knew to be in front of her–so she could talk to them with her eyes, cheesy as it sounds, and tell them everything that she wished to say aloud. Today was no different than the rest, it seemed guilty looks were becoming her favored ones.

She watched as Mina chatted with their friend, Chii (I'm just making up names from anime show now...how pathetic am I?), and then went off to her locker. Kira hurried to her next block, Language, so that she could talk to their other friend, Rita.

"I hate French," were the first words out of Rita's mouth. Kira grinned.

"Don't we all?"

"Not really."

"...Oh well then. I do!" Kira grinned like the klutz she was.

Rita shook her head at her friend's antics. Sometimes Kira was just too damn idiotic.

"...Want a sugar cookie?" Kira asked, watching boredly as their teacher put in a DVD to some lameass movie about a kid and a magic pair of shoes. She looked at her friend, who nodded enthusiastically, before reaching into a bag of cookies and pulling one out for Rita, and one for her.. "Since I haven't tried these, you get to be the taste tester."

They happily munched on sugar cookies until the movie was over, and by then it was five minutes until the bell. When the bell rang, they hurried to lunch to get their spots. Kira waited patiently for everyone else to get lunch and gather around the table. They aimlessly chattered as Kira drew in her sketchbook.

It wasn't a minute later when Kira heard her friends fall silent. She looked up, curious. Her breath caught in her throat as she looked upon the reason why they were now silent. Or, perhaps, the person.

"T...Tanin..." Kira whispered, staring with shock at the girl. Tanin had strange navy blue hair that came to her shoulders. She held a calm, wise expression in her unnatural deep purple eyes. She wore a navy blue shirt and jeans. "What...?"

"You promised to wait for me, and now I've come to you," Tanin said in a light, feathery voice.

"But...I never thought..." Kira trailed off. "I...I'm sorry, you just look so different without your kimono..."

"Did you not say that if I found a way, you would wait for me to accomplish it? I have, after such a long time," Tanin started walking towards Kira.

"Who the hell is she?" Rita asked.

"She..." Kira said, not taking her eyes off of Tanin, "is a ghost, if you will. She came to me in my dreams, a while ago... She said that she would find a way to come to the human world, and I guess she has."

"Why so hesitant to tell them the whole story, Kira?" Tanin whispered, leaning inches from Kira's face. "I'm sure they'd love to hear it, ne koi?"

"Koi?" Everyone stared at Kira, who averted her eyes.

"We best talk about this in a place less populated..." Kira said. "Follow me..."

With that, she led them away outside, her head bent. She was sure this would take a lot of explaining, and now she was sure that Mina hated her. After a long silence, Kira spoke up.

"I...have to tell you something..." she began, wincing. "I...remember how I always wanted to be a fox demon and had a strong affection for foxes...?" She waited for their nod before going on. "I'm...sort of a fox hanyou...And...a long time ago, I mated this...girl...Tanin...but she died, and I had to move here...And...well...she became a ghost and...well..."

Everyone stared at her like she had grown three heads. She winced as Mina walked away without a word. She knew she shouldn't have kept this from her...

"So, koi, miss me?" Tanin grinned. Kira sighed and ran a hand through her hair frustratedly.

"Tanin...I...have to talk to you..."

PAGEBREAK

...I suck ass. I really do. Read and review, though you probably agree. Just no flames, okay?


	2. Memories

Hi again...second chapter. Woo... Sorry if I don't seem so excited. Anyways, here you go. Oh, and let me explain something before we start. Last chapter was a dream, a memory. This chapter is in the present, okay? I know it's confusing, but you don't have to read it if you don't like it, ya know. ...Oh, and I'm actually pairing up Kurama and Hiei... ;

Disclaimer: OO How the hell did I forget the disclaimer last time? ...Anyways, I don't own YYH, yada yada yada.

PAGEBREAK

Kira woke up with a start and looked around. Where was she? Realization started to kick in as her eyes slowly adjusted to the light. She was home, or what she had named as her temporary home. She shook her head to clear her mind of the dream. She didn't want to remember back then, when she was thirteen.

Now a sixteen-year-old, Kira had matured so much in three years. She now had a tall, full figure, and it seemed that the only thing that hadn't changed was the color of her eyes. They still remained a stormy blue, though they held a more mature, distant look.

She wore a tanish orange tank top and jean shorts with a grey belt. Her long sleeves, made of a soft white fabric, slid down to expose her shoulders. Wrapped around her like a long skirt was another piece of the fabric, tucked into her side to allow her shorts to show. A short black chain was attached to the bottom.

Her brown hair, once short, had grown down to her feet, and she tied it halfway down with a deep crimson ribbon. Her bangs and one part of her hair that she allowed free were blonde.

Wiping the dirt off of her skirt, Kira stood up. A little too quickly, though, and a temporary spell of dizziness overcame her. She stood until it wore off, gazing at her self-proclaimed home.

Or lack thereof.

It was an empty place, except for the wildlife that thrived in those kinds of places. An open meadow with a waterfall that ended in a crystalline lake. There was, of course, a forest bordering the lake, so that the lake was hidden from view. It was the kind of place that words couldn't really describe–you had to see it for yourself.

Home to her, actually, was anywhere she could sleep without being kicked out. She prided herself for finding this place. All in all, she thought she did a damn good job.

Kira thought a while, then decided to take a short bath in the lake. In the Makai, she had yet to find soap. Maybe she wasn't looking hard enough, whatever. She removed her clothes and waded into the lake, her skin now used to the icy waters of the lake. She took a deep breath and dipped underneath the surface for a few seconds, letting the waters gently wash the dirt out of her hair. After running her fingers through her hair to get out the remaining dirt, she resurfaced and leaned against a shelf of rocks. A small sigh of contentment escaped her as she let her thoughts drift, absentmindedly running her fingers in circles on the water's surface.

"_What is it, koi?" Tanin asked after everyone else had left. Kira winced at the nickname. It wasn't hers to be called. Kira looked into Tanin's eyes and was shocked at what she saw. Hollowness. Emptiness. It was like her soul wasn't completely there, and just the body was present. She was faintly reminded of Kikyo from Inuyasha. _

"_Tanin. This...won't work. I mean, I know you still love me, and as much as it hurts to say this, I used to. Time has made my love fade and...now...I don't love you. I still care for you, I do, but..." Kira looked at the ground. Now she knew why no one ever got what she was saying. Her delivery was terrible. She sort of had a feeling of de jau vu. Taking a deep breath, she looked up at Tanin, who she saw showed no emotion._

"_She doesn't love you anymore," Tanin spoke in her monotone. Kira stared in shock. "Yes, it is that obvious. She loathes you, and yet you persist to love her. You leave her alone when she asks, and yet you wish desperately to speak to her. Why?"_

"_Please don't remind me of how she loathes me so," Kira flinched. "Even though it's been said a thousand times, it still hurts to hear it. But anyway, I can't really explain it. I should hate her, she says, because everyone else does, but I don't. Why? I don't know. Maybe because I'm just strange like that."_

"_It is foolish of you," Tanin spoke, still in a monotone, "to play the hero, as your friend...Rita, I think her name is, says."_

"_I don't care. This is how I feel, and I'm not going to deny it," Kira stubbornly said._

"_You know, I came back to life so that I could be with you, not hear of your love for some woman you have known for so short of a time. It was I who came first, not her," Tanin growled. And with that, she walked away. _

The sound of footsteps woke Kira from her trance. She slid down deeper into the water, wishing she had brought her katana with her. She relaxed, however, when she recognized the scent.

"Kurama," she greeted, not caring about the fact that she was naked in a clear lake. Kurama had told her he wasn't attracted to girls, anyway. (A/N: I'm sorry to all who like Kurama straight, this is my story, so I can do whatever I want) "Quoi de nuff?"

"Pas grande chose," Kurama answered, grinning a little at Kira's strange ways. "I just came tocheck up on you, see how you were doing."

"So, in other words, you're bored?" Kira grinned. Kurama usually visited her either for something important or when he was bored, and school was out. "Well, let me just get changed and then we can talk, okay?"

Kurama nodded, politely turning away as Kira put on her clothes. She got her katana and staff from her pack of stuff, and then hid the pack in a tree.

Her katana's handle was black and had a silver dragon wrapped around it. The blade showed some wear, but it was barely noticeable because she kept such great care of it. The sheath wasn't really all that special, it was a plain black.

Her staff had a pink base with a sideways crescent moon at the top. Two petals jutted out from beneath the moon. At the bottom, there was a large red orb surrounded by minuscule diamonds where it met the staff.

"So, any ideas on where to go?" Kira asked casually, preferring to keep her excitement inside, else scare poor old Kurama. Kurama always picked the best places.

"Well, there's a festival going on in the Ningenkai. It's said to be one of the best in Japan," Kurama proposed.

"What kind of festival?" Kira asked, her curiosity piqued.

"Ano...what was it..." Kurama put a finger to his chin in a thoughtful pose. "Ah! I remember now! It's the Winter Festival."

"As they have oh so originally named it," Kira added. She grinned. "Lead the way, Mon capitan! (I think that's how you spell it...)"

The festival was large and decorated with beautiful colors. Crowds of impatient people lined up to play games while the vendors in the food court called out the names of what they were selling, like "Sushi! Fresh sushi!" or "Cotton Candy! Only a dollar!" On a stage in the center was some group playing festive songs. Kira and Kurama looked around, pointing out things to each other.

Kira soon felt a snowflake land on her hand. Soon, another joined it. She looked up at the sky and saw that it was snowing. She faintly heard one kid yell, "Mommy! It's snowing!" before she was caught up in a memory.

_It was snowing that day, too. She stood in front of a gravestone, head bent in an apologetic way. Goose bumps covered her skin and she faintly wished she had brought a coat instead of wearing just jeans and a t-shirt. Her cheeks and nose were red, and her hands felt numb and stiff as she held her staff. She hoped she remembered what to do–it had been such a long time since she had done it._

_Tanin had to go back, but she wouldn't go willingly. Kira knew that. Tanin was already disrupting and changing the flow of time, and that couldn't be. So it was either let Tanin live and destroy destiny, or send her where she would find peace. Kira cared too much about Tanin to have her sentenced to life without a complete soul._

_Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself, completely ignoring everything around her. She planted her feet right next to each other and slowly lifted up her staff. She slowly spread her arms out, the staff in one hand. _

_She started chanting. She was aware that she might look strange to any passerby, but she let that thought drift away and focused on the task at hand. When she had finally finished with her spell, she opened her eyes and looked at the gravestone. It was done. Her second exorcism._

Kira shook her head to rid herself of the memory. They were playing back far too often for her liking, and they left a bad taste in her mouth. She looked at Kurama, who had a worried look on his face.

"Sorry, Kurama, just spaced out for a second," Kira grinned.

"I should say. I've been trying to reach you for ten minutes," Kurama said. "Anyway, the festival is holding some special event in about an hour or two. If you want to go, we'll need to get you a kimono, since I already have my outfit."

"I'll only agree to it if it's not pink. Last time Yukina and Keiko put me in a kimono, it was pink," Kira said, shuddering at the image. Kurama laughed and led her away to Genkai's temple.

The kimono wasn't half bad, Kira thought. After much debating, they had all agreed on a black kimono with a light color, since, in Keiko's words, "All black is too dark." Well. We have a genius in the group.

The kimono ended up being a black one with a golden dragon on the back. The obi itself was gold, and it had black flowers dotted all over it. Kira's hair was completely down, which took some persuasion–mainly a box of pocky–for her to let them touch. Her crimson ribbon was tied around her wrist, because she wouldn't part from it.

PAGEBREAK

...Yeah...I was running out of ideas, so I'll just end it here, okay? Okay. And no flames, please.

Kira- You made me look like a idiot! Making me space out like that!

Fox- ; Sorry. I had to keep the plot going, you know?

Kira- But you could have made it part of the dream, you know. And what's with this changing plot, hm?

Fox- You know what, just be quiet. (Mutters about ungrateful OCs)


	3. How they all met

Okay, I'm going to keep this plot, even if I get bored or get any ideas, it will have to work in with the plot! I've set a goal for myself! Yeah!

To my lovely one reviewer:

**RoseFire-shadow666-** Ah, it's okay. I perfectly understand. As I said before, you don't have to read this story if it is not to your liking, or if you don't particularly care for one pairing. You perhaps may or may not read this, but I would like to thank you for being considerate, and not rude.

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH, but if I did, there would be a helluva plot twist. (grins)

IHATEWRITERSBLOCK

The special event, Kira had to admit, was worth having to dress up in a kimono. Though it was kind of dorky, and not well thought out, it was a dance. Of course, to boost popularity, the managers had placed lots of decorations. The paper lanterns and the ribbons were beautiful, but they didn't compare to what nature had in store for them that night.

The fireflies had decided to dance, too, and lit up the night sky with their flashes. It still snowed, but it was more of a sprinkling of snowflakes. The dance was held in a grassy field, far from the hustle and bustle of Tokyo. (A/N: I suck ass at explaining, ne?)

When her friends had asked her to dance, Kira had politely declined. She never really liked dances. Besides the fact that she couldn't dance if her life depended on it, she had no partner with whom to dance with. Come to think about it, neither did Hiei, but she suspected that the way he was staring at Kurama wasn't so friend-like. Well, more like undressing with his eyes. Same thing.

She stared at her friends on the dance floor. Keiko and Yusuke were dancing, the perfect couple as always. Kuwabara was dancing with Yukina, which Kira was surprised Hiei allowed. Kurama was dancing with random women, all part of his fan club. She felt bad for the poor fangirls that were shoved to the floor when their turn was up. And she felt equally as bad for Kurama, who had to dance with those whores.

Were they her friends? She supposed so. It hadn't really been announced, she just came one day and was part of the group. (A/N: In fact, we have yet another flashback prepared just so you can know how! Aren't I great? Well, here we go! You're supposed to clap...Clap now, dammit! (is high on sugar))

_It was the first day in the wild for Kira, and she was anxious as to what dangers lay beyond the door to freedom...the door to adventure...the door to..._

_Joe's Subs and Pizzas! Yes, after taking so long to run away from her home, she stopped at a pizza place. A pizza place five miles from her house, no less. Obviously, she wasn't quite ready for the world yet._

_She had run away not just to see what lay beyond the limits of her town, but because she knew she had to. She had broken one promise too many, hurt countless people, and didn't want to screw things up more from her careless mistakes. She had been the wolf in sheepskin. Countless chances, and yet she screwed them all up. So this time, she was gone for good, even though she knew that running away from her problems wouldn't help, they'd only make it worse._

_She pushed open the heavy door and was greeted with a wave of the smell of way-too-greasy pizza. She crumpled her nose in disdain and found a seat in the back next to a strange group of teenagers. Probably a gang, she theorized. One had that kind of fighter look with gelled black hair. Another looked like a gothic badass with unnaturally gravity-defying black hair. Kira never knew it could go that high. There were two more, a girly pretty boy with red hair, and one who looked to be incredibly stupid (A/N: No offence to Kuwabara lovers out there). But then there were two girls who looked incredibly out of place, a blue-haired bubbly girl and a brown-haired school girl. (A/N: Yes, I skipped through that because I don't want to take all day describing what you already know)_

"_Hello miss, what'll ya have?" A waitress asked Kira. Kira looked at the menu, and finally mumbled, "Two slices of cheese pizza, please."_

_While she was waiting for her meal, she took a closer look at the gang. They seemed to be in a serious mood, like they were about to cause havoc. Kira grinned. She had always liked the bad ones, and that goth looked pretty hot. Then she cursed herself for thinking such thoughts when she should be planning out where to go. The waitress returned with her pizza, and Kira took one look at it before throwing out the greasy mess and putting her money on the table._

_She walked down the road aimlessly, thinking about what she was going to do now that she was once again free. In her usual ADHD ways, she had just started thinking about how strawberries and pineapples would look good as a tropical dish when she heard a commotion in the bushes. Of course, she went to check it out. _

_She saw the same punks from earlier beating down a stray spider demon. She watched in amusement as the idiot one blindly charged at it, because she didn't really have anything else to do. Her amusement was cut short as the spider spit what looked to be acid, a feat which she didn't think they could accomplish, aimed for the one in green. He dodged by a hair's width, but it hit her instead. She screamed in pain as the acid devoured the skin on her shoulder with a sickening sizzling sound. She fought to remain conscious, but the edges of her vision were getting blurry. Her vision finally faded to black as she slumped on the ground._

_She woke up in a strange room. It was white, but she knew it wasn't a hospital._

_She looked around and silently cursed herself for being out of practice. Before, she wouldn't have fallen. She guessed that domestication had made her a little rusty and lazy. The sound of voices down the hallway broke her out of her brooding. _

_"I'm telling you, she could be useful," a male voice was saying._

_"Aren't there enough idiots?" another voice asked._

_"Who?" yet another asked._

_"Shut up, idiot," a colder male voice said._

_"Hey! What was that!"_

_Kira watched the door open, revealing the four boys and a toddler. She sat up._

_"Ah, awake I see," the red-head said in a kind voice._

_"Who are you people?" Kira asked._

_"I'm Yusuke, and this is Hiei, Kuwabara, Kurama, and Koenma," the one in green said, pointing to everyone._

_"Okay, now that I know your names, why am I here? Besides the obvious," Kira added. Best not make them think she was an idiot that had to be slowly explained to. She hated lectures._

_"Well," Koenma said in a serious voice, "we think that you might be of some help to us."_

_"How so...?" Kira asked, doubtful._

_"What we mean is, we would like you to join us. We're the Rekai Tentei," Koenma said._

_"Oh great, I get rescued by a mafia.," Kira mumbled to herself. _

_"Hn. Baka onna," Hiei said, going over to sit on the windowsill. Kira frowned. _

_"Basically, join us and kick some bad guy ass!" Yusuke yelled. Kira winced, covering her ear..._

_"Where'd my ears go! MY EARS! YOU ALL STOLE MY EARS!" Kira yelled, trying to feel for her ears. Everyone in the room sweatdropped._

_"Eh, lady, you have fox ears," Yusuke said. Kira blinked._

_"They're back? THEY'RE BACK! HOLY SHIT THEY'RE BACK!" Kira laughed with glee, making a complete idiot out of herself. "I missed them! I had to make myself have human ears, and now I have them back again!"_

_The Tentei watched as Kira pet her ears, hyperactively...hyper. After a while, Koenma cleared his throat._

_"So, will you join us?" he asked._

_"I guess I don't really have a choice. Nice ta meetcha, I'm Kira!" Kira grinned happily, extending her hand for Koenma to shake. He hesitantly shook it._

And that was how Kira met them all. Kind of short and she had trusted them way too easily, but she just ignored that. She randomly started humming "Taste You" by whoever that girl was...it had said Auf Der Maur or something on her Media Player at the temple. She loved that song so much.

She glanced again at Hiei. She chuckled to herself as she watched him glaring at the women. Ah, the glory of yaoi! It just needed a...push or two, and soon they would be a couple. She thought of a good plan. One that would make them realize something...

"Aha!" Kira grinned, walking over to Hiei, who was sitting in a tree. In one swift movement, she jumped up on the tree and sat next to him one the branch. "Whatcha doing?"

"Hn," Hiei said, still looking at Kurama. Kira grinned.

"Looks like they're having fun, ne?" she asked. He turned to look at her.

"What makes you think that I'm looking at the kitsune and that girl?" he asked.

"Did I say you were looking at them?" Kira asked, still grinning.

"...No..." Hiei glared, turning away from her and staring again at Kurama. There was a minute of silence.

"You know, you should tell him," Kira said in a low voice. Hiei's eyes snapped back to her.

"I don't love that baka kitsune, if that's what you're thinking," he glared.

"Oh, so then why are you looking at him like that?" Kira asked.

"I'm not looking at him."

"Yes you are."

"Prove it."

"I will. What's Kurama wearing?"

"He's wearing a black kimono with some kind of love poem written on it and a white obi."

"See?"

"See what?"

"You know what he's wearing! You _do_ stare at him!" Kira grinned. "Aw, you two are so cut together."

If looks could kill, Kira would have been way past dead. Kira had learned that trick from her friend Rita, who had asked the same thing about Mina. Kira now knew how Rita felt when poking fun at her about Mina.

IREALLYHATEBLANKSPOTSDONTYOU

Fox- I suck, don't I? Yeah... I ran out of ideas...

Kira- (shakes head) Idiot.

Fox- I just wanted to make my readers happy (If I even have readers)!

Kira- I don't think you really do.

Fox- Okay, then, until I get a few reviews I'll just not post. Until I get 5 or more. Or, like 10. Whatever. This story sucks ass anyways, so I guess I won't get them...

Kira- Pity.

Fox- (glare)


End file.
